Papa Faal; US vet tries to invade Gambia
Chock Block sends us a link to the Daily Beast which recounts the story of a former Gambian citizen by the name of Papa Faal who joined the US Air Force and then the US Army. Using that experience, he plotted to overthrow the government of Gambia along with his money man and co-conspirator, Cherno Njie. they transported weapons, ammunition and a small fighting force into Gambia;
The conspirators were split into two teams, “Alpha” and “Bravo.” Alpha was to storm the State House, where they expected the president to be on New Year’s Day, and Bravo was to secure the rear of the building. Their leader, Njie, still going by “Dave” during the operation, would stay a safe distance away until the State House was secure.
As it happened, the coup members found the State House “fortified with additional soldiers.” When an Alpha Team member fired a shot in the air meant to scare off the guards whom they didn’t expect to put up much of a fight, they took “heavy fire from the guard towers.”
From there the plan went to hell. Alpha Team was killed, Faal told the FBI, while the Bravo members who were not gunned down fled. While Faal and Njie are in U.S. custody, the whereabouts of the other survivors is unknown.
I’m guessing that they saw Frederick Forsythe’s “The Dogs of War” a few too many times. Three years in the US Infantry probably isn’t enough experience to enable a fellow to take over a small African nation – especially when your whole plan hinges on the enemy not putting up a fight.
Category: Dumbass Bullshit
Damn, I hate that… try to take over a country, blow off a shotgun, and the bastards shoot back!! I just knew I should have unplugged that magazine.
You mean Joe Biden’s, “Coups for Dummies” didn’t work?
There’s $29.95 I’m not getting back.
Just what the OOBLA-BOOBLA was he thinking?
Plan: We show up. They give up. We win.
Problem: Their intel failed to account for the fact that each guard is reminded each day that if he ever fails in his duty, he, his fellow guards, and all of their families and friends will be skinned alive.
Sounds like someone found one of A.J.Dickens old still in draft stage Op Orders in the trash at an Arkansas trailer park and thought it was a good idea. Remember it was Dickens who capped OBL, so the President of a small country would just be small potatoes.
So, this was a Faal Fail ??
Yes. A Faal Fail of the Gambia Gambit. 😀
Ok so Faal served with a tanker wing in the USAF and then in a logistics outfit for the Army.
So this coup was planned with help from a Fobbit? No wonder it flopped from the word ‘go.’
Yeah, this circus is being played out in my neck of the woods. They had his preliminary hearing the other day and there are a bunch of Gambians that are planning to protest when the trial starts, etc.
I guess we have a bunch of them that live here in the frozen tundra, which doesn’t surprise me, since the liberal orgs (Catholic Charities, Lutheran Brotherhood) have made a point of bringing every hard luck group here to resettle i.e. Hmong, Vietnamese, Somali, Liberians, Gambians, etc., because going from 100 degrees and humid to -40 windchill isn’t a big switch.
Gee…that even makes me feel cold living here in the frozen tundra. Its almost like punishment to live here lately. And I hope the cold makes them want to move away.
Dude should have just photoshopped his head on the President’s body and called it good.
But, where was he going to get the $10 million for admission to the “Bernath School of Photoshopping” in Tigard, OR???
Probably could have been an honor student…
The Dogs of War is a great book; never cared much for the movie though. I guess this guy forgot that no plan survives first contact.
Here’s what the locals have to say about that epic faal I mean FAIL:
http://standard.gm/site/opinion/5746-Gambia-coup-plot-Inside-story-failed-takeover.html
Could it be they failed because they didn’t solicit the help/training from John Giduck?
Yup. Instead of firing a shot in the air – expected to be ineffective – they should have dazzled the guards with Giduck-style shovel twirling. They would have surrendered and run immediately.
Well, the plan was not really all that bad. Expecting the guards of a third-world country to flee at the first sign of trouble probably had at least a better than 40% chance of success.